New Beginnings
by Copper's Mama
Summary: A Rachel/Puck fic. Rachel has a new foster brother. Puck finds himself having to explain his actions towards Rachel re: the slushies. please R&R!
1. Chapter 1

_..._

_A Rachel/Puck fic._

_..._

_Disclaimer: Nope. Don't own Glee. Not even a little bit. *Sigh* _

_..._

_A/N: Yes, another "Puckelberry" fic from me. This one I've been thinking about for a while, but trying to decide how best to spin it. Basically: Rachel's dads adopt a seventeen-year old boy after he's been apprehended from his father, who was beating him up. Rachel convinces him to join glee with her ... and that's where we begin! _

_Takes place early in the season, but after Puck joined glee. Also with the assumption that most of the glee kids are in grade eleven. _

_I hope you guys like this fic, I know I'll have fun writing it. Don't know how long it's gonna be yet. We'll see how it goes while I'm writing it. _

_P.S. I haven't been able to stop listening to the Glee soundtrack since I bought it this morning. I was kinda hoping that the version of Sweet Caroline would be longer than it was on the show, and I wish the mash-up songs were on there, but I've hitting repeat on "Alone" and "Somebody to Love". _

_Anywhoo, let's get on with it, shall we? _

_As always, please read and review, I live for feedback! _

* * *

Brandon had come to live with them a week ago. Her dads had agreed to take him in until he turned eighteen, as he didn't have a job, or any relatives to live with. His mom had left when he was 5, and his father had been beating him since then. He was skinny, malnourished, still had many bruises, and was nursing a broken left wrist, but Rachel had high hopes for him. She knew that he would be happy in her home until he was old enough to leave.

He still had 9 months until his eighteenth birthday, and though he was old enough to be a senior, he was stuck repeating the eleventh grade. His miserable home life had reflected poorly on his grades, and until now, no one had tried to change that.

Today would be his first day at McKinley High, and Rachel intended to make him feel as comfortable as possible.

She drove them to the school in her green punch-buggy, helping him gather all of his things out of the back. Her dads had been spoiling him rotten in the last week, and he was a little thrown-off by it all. New clothes, new school supplies, new haircut ... new family.

She knew her dads had gone a little overboard with the shopping, and as a result, Brandon had a few bags to many, and more items than he could carry. She showed him where all his classes would be, took him around to the library, cafeteria, auditorium (her personal favorite), and was just making her way to her locker when she was doused with an icy-cold, red beverage.

Brandon watched in shock as Puck continued walking, dropping the slushie cup into the garbage as he passed.

"Are you okay"? Brandon asked her.

She nodded. "Don't worry about it. It happens to me all the time," she confessed. "Many people here dislike the fact that I am going places, where they are not."

Brandon nodded slowly, not really sure what he should do.

"Well, your locker number is ... 241," she pointed down the hall. "You can drop your stuff off and meet me in biology. I'm just going to go clean this off."

He nodded, seeing that he might have more in common with Rachel than he'd previously thought.

Rachel shrugged out of her clothes in the bathroom, rinsing them out quickly and cleaning herself off before changing into the second pair she always carried.

She had kind of hoped that Puck joining glee would mean she would get less - if no more at all - slushies thrown at her, but apparently she was mistaken.

She hung the damp clothes in her locker, grabbed her books and made her way to class. She and Brandon had mostly the same schedule, and she would try to make of point of keeping him on track as best as she could. He was already a year behind, after all.

He stood outside the door to the room awkwardly, not really wanting to go in by himself, so Rachel came up behind him and nudged him inside. As he'd expected, he drew the glances of most of the people in the classroom, their staring eyes asking a thousand silent questions.

He fell into a seat beside Rachel, sorting out which books he would need.

* * *

At lunch, she showed him where she usually sat with the other glee members: Mercedes, Artie, Tina and Kurt. Sometimes Finn would stop by and say hi, but he was usually too busy chatting with his jock and cheerleader friends.

He was grateful his dad had broken his left wrist this time, as he was right-handed, and hated trying to eat with the other one.

Kurt scooted closer, holding his head up on his hand with his elbow on the table.

"And who are you?" he asked the taller boy.

Brandon looked at him sideways before answering, "Um, Brandon Lewis. I'm uh ... Rachel's parents took me in."

Kurt nodded interestedly.

"Well, I'm Kurt Hummel, that's Artie, and those lovely ladies are Mercedes and Tina," he pointed out each one in turn before turning back to Brandon. "So, what's your story?

Rachel interjected, informing them that it was a personal situation, and they should talk about more important things, like the choreography for their next routine in glee.

Brandon asked her, "What's glee?"

She looked at him in surprise. "You've never heard of it?"

He shook his head.

"Well, it's basically show-choir. It's very fun, and though we only have barely enough people to compete, we hope to win at Sectionals, and then Nationals."

Brandon nodded.

"You should join," Rachel urged him. "It's a really great way to expel some energy after a long day, and I'm sure you would fit right in. You would have to audition, though I'm sure Mr Shuester would be glad to have you join."

He considered it. "I'll think about it."

Rachel nodded, satisfied. She really wanted Brandon's last two years of high school to be memorable and fun.

* * *

"Who's the dude with Berry?" Puck wondered to his table.

Some of them looked over.

"I dunno," most of the guys answered.

Finn shrugged. "I'm sure she'll tell everyone in glee."

Puck rolled his eyes, glancing back at the brunette to see she'd changed her clothes. It made him smirk in satisfaction before digging into his food once more.

* * *

_End of chapter one. Short I know, but mostly an introductory chapter. _

_What do you guys think? Yay? Nay? _

_Reviews are appreciated, positive or negative. _

_Until next time ...! _


	2. Chapter 2

_..._

_A Rachel/Puck fic._

_Chapter Two. _

_..._

_Disclaimer: See Ch. 1_

_..._

_A/N: Wow, thanks for the speedy reviews, guys. You rock! _

_So, after re-watching glee online last night, I discovered that Rachel is in fact a sophomore ... grade 10, not eleven. But, for the purposes of the story (I want Rachel, Brandon and Puck to be in mostly the same classes together) I'm having her in grade eleven. Which technically makes this another AU fic. _

_Oh well ... _

_Anywhoo, here's chapter two. _

_I hope you like it, I know I had fun writing it! _

_As always, please read and review, I live for feedback! _

* * *

For his audition Brandon chose to sing "Don't Fall in Love With a Dreamer," by Kenny Rogers. Mr Shuester "passed" him into the club on his talent, but gave him a side-note, telling him he should try to put more feeling into the words he was singing. Because glee was - after all - show choir.

He promised he would make an effort, and went to meet Rachel outside the auditorium.

She smild encouragingly when he told her he'd "made the cut", and right away showed him the choir room where they usually met for glee club.

They were the first ones there - as was usualy for Rachel - so she got herself set up while he got himself acquainted with his new surroundings.

"So, how often do you guys meet?" he asked her, sliding his cast-covered hand alone the piano.

"Usually two or three times a week, though sometimes we're just given indivdual assignments, because the Cheerios and football players have their practices as well."

"Cheerios?" he asked her with a barely contained snort.

She smirked. "It's what they call the cheerleaders here."

"Ah," he replied, nodding his head in understanding.

Artie and Tina made their way into the room, spotting them easily.

"He - hey, guys," Tina greeted.

Brandon waved his casted arm in response and Rachel said a friendly "Hello" back.

Artie struck up a conversation with Brandon while he set up his band equipment. "So, do you play any instruments?"

He glanced at the piano. "Well, my mom taught me when I was little, but ... I haven't played in a long time." His fingers twitched noticeably, so he drew them behind his back, out of sight.

Artie nodded, having been too distracted by hooking up his amp to his guitar to see the other boy's discomfort. "Well, I'm sure Rachel - or even some of the band members - would be more than happy to walk through it with you. Until you get used to it again?"

Brandon looked almost longingly at the piano before shrugging and stepping away. "Maybe later."

He moved to find a seat at the back of the classroom just as everyone else began piling in. A few of them looked at him curiously as they found their seats, but no one said anything, and finally Mr Shuester entered the room.

"Hey, guys. How was your day?" he wondered, glancing in their general direction before setting his stuff down.

There were a few replies of "Good", "Fine", and "Just ducky", (courtesy of Kurt) and Mr Shuester stood facing them.

"Great," he commented. "Well, as you may have noticed, we have a new member. Why don't you give a warm, Glee Club welcome to Brandon Lewis?"

Rachel clapped excitedly along with Kurt, but mostly the others just said a simple "Hey," while Puck eyed the new member from where he sat.

Brandon shifted uncomfortably under the left tackle's stare, but finally Mr Shuester drew their attention.

"Well, I think we should do a run-through of "Don't Stop Believing", and see where we can fit Mr Lewis into the ensemble," the teacher suggested.

They left the classroom, headed for the auditorium. Puck sauntered up beside them, purposefully placing himself between Rachel and Brandon.

"Isn't it a little late in the semester to be recruiting new people, Berry?" Puck wondered.

Rachel rolled her eyes at him. "You, Matt and Mike joined a couple weeks ago."

Puck shrugged. "Yeah, that's 'cause without us here, you'd go down in flames. What does pretty-boy here bring to the club? Pity?"

Rachel glared at him, stopping all three of them in the hallway.

"Listen carefully, Puck. I don't care if I'm the brunt of your pointless jokes and torture, but trust me when I say that if you don't back off of Brandon, I will make your life a living hell until you're begging me to put a swift end to your misery. Do you understand me?"

Puck paused, suprised at her tone. Rachel Berry had never stood up to him let alone talked back to him. She'd always just sat back and taken his torment.

Brushing off the odd feeling, he shoved past them. "Whatever, Berry," he commented, the gears spinning in his head.

Rachel continued walking down the hall with Brandon staring at her.

"Yes?" she asked him after a moment, her icy tone gone.

"No one's ever really ... I mean, people don't usually stand up for me," he admitted.

She nodded understandingly. "I'm not most people."

He nodded. "I see that."

* * *

Rehearsal had gone well. Brandon was a little stiff and unsure of where he fit in, but they'd managed to work him into the choreography of the song. It was decided that he and Artie would rotate places throughout the song, as there was now a higher number of boys in glee than girls.

Artie was disappointed that he wouldn't get to dance with Tina as much, but he knew his limitations, and thought that with Brandon in the club, the song looked better. Plus, the cusion of one extra member didn't hurt either.

After school Rachel and Brandon walked out to her car, happy to be heading home.

He glanced at a truck across the parking lot where Puck was driving away. "So, what's with you and that Puck guy?" he asked her.

Rachel shrugged. "Apparently he enjoys driving my dry-cleaning bill through the roof. Other than that, not a lot. Why do you ask?"

Brandon shrugged. "It just ... seems like a weird situation."

Rachel nodded her agreement. "That's a mild understatement," she replied, starting her buggy.

* * *

Brandon had never been to a football game before. His father had never let him stay after school, and if he was ever late, he'd get a beating. He'd never really been anywhere outside of school and home, not since his mother's funeral.

So, when he'd found out that McKinley High a) had a football team and b) had a game the next day, he hesitantly asked Rachel's dads if it would be alright if he went. He'd been half-expecting them to refuse, but they nodded excitedly.

"I think it would be wonderful," Paul spoke. "Give you a nice chance to get out and hang out with some of your peers. What do you think David?"

The other man nodded. "I agree. How about you Rachel? You feel like going to a football game?"

She paused at that. She really didn't. Not only because she'd really never seen the point in the whole sport, but after her "showdown" with Puck in the hallway, she didn't really want to sit and watch him shove people around. Not that she would be going there to watch him ... if she decided to go at all.

She glanced over at Brandon, who was looking at her with semi-hopeful eyes. _Damn you. _"Sure, I'd love to go. Sounds like fun."

Brandon thanked her before retreating to his bedroom before supper.

Rachel sighed, sinking down to the table in the kitchen.

"What's the matter Honey-Pie?" her dad asked her.

"It was just a long day," she commented, wondering if they'd notice she was wearing a different outfit than she'd gone to school in. She sighed again at the thought. Of course they would. They always did. Just as they always assured her that she was meant for greater things than Lima, or McKinley High, and that she would show them all how great she was when she got onto Broadway and became a star.

She really loved her dads.

"Just hang in there, Sweetie. Only two more years left," her other dad told her.

She nodded. "I know. I'm fine, really. Just a bit down. I think I'll do a few laps on my elliptical. See you at dinner," she told them, trotting up the stairs.

Her dads watched their little angel go, wishing they could make life easier for her.

* * *

Brandon talked Kurt's ear off the next day at lunch, trying to learn everything he could about football. Kurt was more than happy to inform him, leaning towards him when he spoke and batting his eyes.

For his part, Brandon didn't seem to notice the other boy's attentions.

It gave Rachel pause, wondering if she'd have to have a talk with Kurt. While she understood that he was a big boy and could deal with his own emotions, she wasn't sure how Brandon would react to him if he actually figured out that Kurt was hitting on him. She didn't want either of them to get hurt.

Puck walked by their table, slushie in hand. He tipped it back and forth as he walked past her head, causing her to flinch and close her eyes, waiting for the cold liquid to spill into her hair.

It didn't, and she heard Puck chuckle as he walked away to join his friends.

Rachel sighed with a hint of a growl, digging into her salad.

"What's up?" Mercedes asked from beside her, as none of them had noticed Puck's actions.

She decided not to bother them, and said simply, "These are the wrong kind of crutons."

* * *

_End of chapter two. _

_Next chapter: football game! _

_Yes ... Puck is an ass. But it's all part of my master plan! Mua ha ha! ... Yeah, I don't actually have a "master plan", but there is a small method to my madness. _

_Hope you guys liked it! _

_Reviews are appreciated, positive or negative. (I will try to make the chapters longer) _

_Until next time ...! _


	3. Chapter 3

_..._

_A Rachel/Puck fic._

_Chapter Three._

_..._

_Disclaimer: See Ch. 1_

_..._

_A/N: Thanks for the reviews, guys! And sorry about the mix-up the first time I posted this, I forgot to add the Author's Note! _

_Silly me. _

_Anywhoo, here's chapter three. As I said, I'll be trying to make these chapters longer. This one isn't too much longer than the last one, but I'll keep trying to put more into the chapter as I go. I still have no idea how long this is going to be. _

_I hope you guys like it, I know I'll love writing it! _

_As always, please read and review, I live for feedback! _

* * *

The bleachers were packed with fans, though Rachel and Brandon had stayed after school, working on glee songs until it was time to head out to the field, so they'd managed to snag good seats. Mercedes was there to support Kurt, and since Artie couldn't exactly make it up the bleachers, Tina had set up a folding chair next to him on the grass in front of the bleachers.

Rachel smiled down at them. They really did make a cute couple.

She clapped her hands obligingly when the players took the field, figuring she should probably make an effort for Brandon's sake. Plus, it wouldn't hurt to show the football guys that she could support them just as much in football as she did in glee.

The game progressed rather slowly in her opinion. Neither side was very good ... though she couldn't be sure, as she'd never really gone to a football game before, or paid any attention to the rules.

All she knew was that Kurt kicked the ball, Finn threw the ball, and the other guys ran around like chickens with their heads cut off.

It was mildly amusing she supposed, but figured there must be more to it than that.

They sent Kurt in to kick a field-goal, and Rachel stood with Mercedes to cheer him on. He waved back to them as he pranced his way to the middle of the field.

She and Mercedes were easily the loudest out of everyone in the audience, so loud that some of the players on the field turned to look at them.

Puck heard her voice above the din, glancing over at her from where he stood on the grass. She was odd. He couldn't remember ever seeing her attend a football game before, yet there was she was, jumping up and cheering like she were a normal girl.

Kurt took a flamboyant run at the ball, kicking it between the goal posts.

Three easy points.

Rachel high-fived with Mercedes, actually getting into the excitement of it all. Brandon clapped with them, standing up slowly after everyone else.

Puck eyed the boy standing beside Rachel Berry, wondering why she was so protective of him, and where he'd gotten all the bruises on his face and arms. An image of "_Fight Club_" flashed through his mind, but he quickly laughed it off, dismissing the idea. He really didn't seem the type.

Puck filed it away for later, returning his attention to the game.

* * *

In the end, McKinley won by two points - barely. It Kurt hadn't scored their last field-goal, they would have lost by one. Tanaka didn't mind the score; to him, winning was winning, and they'd won, so why worry about it?

After congratulating Kurt and Finn, Rachel and Brandon made their way back to her car, but were interrupted before they'd even left the field.

"What? No hug?" Puck commented, getting in their way.

"Excuse us," Rachel spoke in a mildly annoyed voice.

He held his position, smirking down at them with an evil/amused expression. "Oh, now that's not fair. And here I thought we were all friends in glee. You came to cheer them on, and not me?"

Rachel rolled her eyes, but decided to placate him. He _almost_ had a point. "You played ... adequately. It was an enjoyable performance," she stated, moving around him.

Puck lost the humor in his eyes, watching them as they left. "So, do you do all the talking in _every_ relationship?" he wondered. "'Cause boy-toy there is pretty quiet. Can't get a word in edgewise?" he asked Brandon.

Brandon defaulted to retreating inside himself, shying away from a confrontation.

Rachel saw this and stepped forward, fixing her glare on Puck. "Maybe I wasn't clear before." She invaded his personal space, gripping the material of his jersey in her hand.

His eyes dropped down to her hand, regarding it for a moment before raising his head again with an arched brow, as though daring her to do whatever it was that she was thinking about doing.

She lowered her voice, giving it a more forceful effect.

"Leave him the _hell_ alone, or you will regret it. He is not your punching bag. He has done nothing to you." Her inferior height seemed to make no difference in her conviction. "Be a smart boy for once, _Noah_. Back. Off."

He was silent for a moment, surprised not only by her tenacity, but also the fact that she'd used his first name. Not even his teachers did that, it was a privilege reserved only for his mother and sister. He found his found after a few seconds, glaring back at her. "That's a dangerous road you're going down, Berry."

She flared her nostrils, smirking up at him. "Oh, please give me a reason to destroy you."

Puck snorted at that. "What? You need more?"

She pushed away from him, her fingers releasing his jersey slowly. "Don't be a jerk, Puck. I know it's difficult, but I'm sure if you set your mind to it, you can be half-way decent," she told him before stepping back to Brandon's side.

His eyes were downcast, and he seemed to be shaking.

Rachel raised her hand to place it lightly on his shoulder, but the brief contact caused him to jump.

"No!" he shouted, whipping his arm around to keep the offending hand away from him.

Rachel's yelp of surprise brought Brandon out of his daze, and he blinked a couple times, wondering why his hand hurt within his cast. He looked over to see Rachel holding her hand over her mouth.

"Rachel?" he asked quietly, looking at her in confusion.

"It's okay," she told him through her hand. "I'm fine."

"What?" he wondered, confused.

"What the fuck, Berry?" Puck commented, his face red.

Rachel whipped her head around, glaring at him. "Go away, Puck," she warned him, turning and jerking her head for Brandon to follow her.

"Rachel, what's wrong?" he asked her as they made their way to the parking lot.

She shook her head. "It's okay, it was my fault," she assured him. "I should have known not to ... it's okay," she told him, lowering her hand from her mouth to fish tissues out of her purse.

"Oh, my god, Rachel," he spoke in a shocked face. "You're ... I did that?"

"It's not your fault," she said again, wiping away at the from her split lip and trying hard not to wince at the contact. "It was just a reflex."

He shook his head, backing away from her. "No ... I can't be like him."

She followed him, stepping close to him. "You're not like him," she insisted. She slowly and purposefully picked up his casted wrist in her hand. "It was just a reflex, I know you didn't mean it."

He remained still, trying to wrap his head around what he'd done. "I'm so sorry."

She nodded. "Thank you, but I'm not mad at you. I know it was an accident. Now, can we go home?"

He looked apprehensive, not wanting to face her fathers.

She seemed to read his mind. "It's going to be okay. You're going to be okay. They'll understand, Brandon. You've been through a lot, some adjustment time is expected."

He nodded guiltily. "I'm sorry."

She shook her head. "I'm fine. Let's go home."

Puck watched them leave, confused now more than ever. He was determined to find out who this guy was, and what he had to do with Rachel Berry.

* * *

Rachel allowed the ice pack to settle over her mouth.

"Are you sure you're okay?" her dad, David asked.

She nodded. "It's okay. It only stings a little. He didn't mean it, Daddy, I promise."

"I believe you," he told her. "After everything he went through, it's amazing he's as secure and adjusted as he is. That doesn't mean we don't worry about you."

"I promise it won't happen again," she informed him. "It was mostly my fault anyway. I could see that he was upset, and I didn't even think that touching him would be a bad idea. Next time I'll know better."

"I just hope there _isn't_ a next time."

"Me too," Brandon told them, walking into the room with Paul behind him. "I'm really sorry David, Paul ... Rachel. I never meant to hurt you, I swear."

She nodded. "I believe you."

He looked behind him. "Paul suggested I go talk to Miss Pilsburry tomorrow. He thinks it would help."

Rachel nodded. "I'm sure it will."

"I hope so," Brandon replied. After a moment, he asked, "I was wondering if you wanted to work on that song for glee?"

Rachel nodded, removing the ice pack and replacing it in the freezer. "Absolutely." She gave each of her dads a kiss, trying to show them she wasn't hurt or damaged by Brandon's mistake. "See you guys later," she told them before climbing the stairs to her room with Brandon behind her.

Paul sat down at the kitchen table with David. "Do you think we made a mistake?"

David shook his head after a moment. "I still want to help him," he told his partner. "He's been through a lot, and he needs people who care about him and who will be there for him ... but I don't want Rachel to get hurt either."

Paul nodded. "She's a tough kid."

David agreed.

"So ... I guess we wait and see?" Paul suggested.

"For now," David replied. "He deserves a chance."

* * *

The next day at school Rachel was anxious. She was sure that Puck would have jumped at the opportunity to tell the school what Brandon had done, and therefore alienate him from the entire student body. She chuckled after a moment. Or maybe they'd embrace him with open arms.

She was walking down the hall when a hand grabbed her arm and pulled her into a janitor's closet.

"What is the meaning of -"

Puck shushed her with his calm voice. "I never pegged you as someone who'd let her boyfriend smack her around."

Rachel rolled her eyes, glaring at him. "First of all, he didn't "smack me around". Second of all, he's not my boyfriend. And third, what business is it of yours?"

He answered smoothly, "It's no fun to torment you if someone's beating me to the punch. I may have to up my game."

She hissed at him, "Grow up, Puck."

She tried to exit the closet, but he gripped her arm.

"Watch your back, Berry," he told her before pulling her behind him so he could leave first.

She was 80 percent convinced that he was referring to himself, and not Brandon.

Back in the guidance counsellor's office, Brandon was pacing back and forth, not sure where to begin.

"Mr Lewis, your foster parents have apprised me of the situation. I know you must be dealing with a lot right now, so I'm not going to try and pressure you into telling me anything you don't want to. I am, however here to listen. So if there's anything you need to get off your chest, any feelings you might be having ... I'm here to listen to them. I won't judge you, I promise. You're completely safe in this room."

He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, slowing his pacing gradually. After another minute, he carefully sat in the chair across from her desk.

"I'm afraid," he said quietly.

She waited for him to continue, her hands clasped gently in her lap.

"I don't want to ... I don't want to be like my dad, but I'm afraid that I'm too much like him to stop myself," he confessed.

He was quiet after that, and finally Emma said, "The fact that you don't want to be like him, makes you different than him, Brandon. You're a good kid."

He looked up at her in surprise. "You don't even know me."

She shrugged. "I know that you're here because of something bad that happened, and you want to be good. By wanting to be good, you are - in fact - good. You just have to believe in yourself and know that no one else can make you do something you don't want to do."

He nodded after a moment. "Okay."

* * *

_End of chapter three. _

_Hope you liked it! I'm anticipating a mixed reaction from "what Brandon did". I can't wait for your reviews. _

_Until next time ...! _


	4. Chapter 4

_..._

_A Rachel/Puck fic._

_Chapter Four._

_..._

_Disclaimer: See Ch. 1_

_..._

_A/N: Thanks for the great reviews guys, you rock! You keep me inspired! _

_I'm so excited for the new episode of glee tonight, can't hardly wait! I just had an all-nighter, online glee-athon with a friend of mine, so I'm sufficiently caught up and psyched about the new episode. _

_I happy you guys are still liking this story, even if it's a bit darker than my last couple of fics. _

_Not much to say about this chapter ... more Puck in this one. Woot woot! _

_Alrighty, let's get on with it. _

_As always, please read and review, I live for feedback! _

* * *

In gym class Rachel was seated next to Mercedes and Tina, listening to the teacher lecturing them on proper gym attire. Many of the girls despised the outfit the school had supplied for them to wear, and often came in their stylish sweats or cut-off shorts, and multi-layered, skinny-strapped shirts.

"What's wrong with your lip?" Mercedes asked her.

Rachel shrugged. "Just a slip."

"Th-tha - that looks l-like more than a slip," Tina commented.

Rachel sighed, saying under her breath, "First Puck, now you."

"Puck what?" Mercedes interrogated. "What did that fool do now?"

She shook her head. "Nothing. Just ... never mind. What did you guys work out for your glee assignment?"

Mercedes spyed on her out of the corner of her eye. "Don't think this convo's over, chicky."

* * *

Despite their conversation the other night, Brandon was still trying to distance himself from Rachel. He barely talked to her in the hall or during their classes, and when lunch came around, he went out to the bleachers to eat his lunch, instead of the cafeteria. Rachel wished that he would move past what had happened - as she had - but she understood that he needed his space to deal with what had happened.

What made her most nervous were the looks that Puck kept throwing her way.

He was confusing the hell out of her. He drove her completely insane, always sticking his nose in where it didn't belong.

She hoped that Brandon's talk with Miss Pilsburry had gone well. Her dads were considering sending him to a psychiatrist, instead of just the school guidance counsellor, but they wanted to give this a chance first. She agreed. She didn't want Brandon to think that they thought he was ... well, in need of psychiatric help.

She tentatively fingered her split lip. The swelling had gone down considerably, but it would be a few days at least until the cut was healed. _That cast certainly packs a whallop. _

She saw Mr Shuester grabbing a soft drink out of the vending machine before making his way back to the staff room, and decided to follow him.

"Mr Shuester, can I talk to you for a moment?" she asked him, catching up.

"Sure, Rachel," he answered. "What can I do for you?"

"It's about glee this afternoon. I was wondering if you would consider giving Brandon a solo, or even a duet. I think it would really help boost his confidence, and bring him into the group more."

He nodded after a moment. "Sure. I'm sure I can think of something simple for him." He smiled down at Rachel. "That's really nice of you Rachel."

She shrugged. "Just trying to help him out."

He glanced at the cut on her lip. "Ouch. You okay?"

She looked away, nodding automatically. "It's fine. Just a little slip. Um, thanks though. For giving Brandon a chance like this."

He nodded again. "No problem. I'll see you later."

* * *

At glee club that afternoon, Brandon was still trying to avoid Rachel. She ignored this and purposefully sat right next to him, pulling out her notes from the last class.

"You don't have to be so nice to me," he told her.

She flipped her hair casually. "I try to be nice to everyone I meet, Brandon. You're certainly no exception."

"Well, not everyone hit you in the face with a hard cast," he countered.

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, please. Like a little puffiness is gonna scare me off. Now, let's work on your scales. Show we what you got."

The others piled in a few minutes later, glancing at the two by the piano.

Artie rolled up to them. "Hey, how about you sit down and give it a try?"

Brandon looked at the piano for a moment. "I don't know ..."

Rachel nodded encouragingly. "Sure, come on. We'll try something easy. Do you know "Heart and Soul"?"

He nodded after a moment.

The others watched them curiously, Puck leaning back in his chair with narrowed eyes.

Rachel patted the bench beside her. "Come on, give it a go."

He sat down slowly, and she took the opening, leaving him to do the high notes with his cast-free hand.

He held his left hand in his lap while he stroked the keys flawlessly, but tried not to put too much emotion into it. He hadn't played in over ten years, and any time he had tried, his father had gotten furious at him. He remembered every note though, and when it got to the chopsticks part of the song, his long fingers made it easy to hit every note.

Rachel played along with him, smiling at his talent.

Mr Shuester walked into the room when they were halfway through the song, clapping eagerly.

"Very nice, guys," he commented, and Brandon stopped playing.

"Oh, don't stop on my account. It sounded good," Mr Shuester urged, but Brandon stepped away from the piano, walking to his seat.

Will Shuester pursed his lips, but didn't say anything as Rachel too returned to her chair beside Brandon, and behind Puck.

"Alright, I've got a new task for you this week. I'm going to pair each of you up and have you perform a duet of your choice. Of course, one group will have three members now that we have thirteen people, but I think it should work out great. We'll also be performing another song at the assembly this week, so we'll work on that first, and then I'll assign your pairs at the end of class. So, the song we'll be performing is "Bust a Move"."

The girls giggled at that, and the boys whooped excitedly. "That's what I'm talking about!" Mike said, nudging Matt with his arm.

Rachel smiled, imagining the fun they could have with that song. It wouldn't be her first choice, but she knew it would be fun.

"Alright, let's get the guys on one side of the room, and the girls on the other," Mr Shuester told them, wanting to get started right away.

Puck smirked as he passed, "Looks like you're gonna have to settle for singing back-up on this one, Berry."

Rachel rolled her eyes, trying to ignore the forced contact their bodies made.

* * *

"Dude, what's up with you lately?" Finn asked after practice the next day.

"What do you mean?" Puck replied, gulping down water.

"You've been out of it for like, I don't know ... a while now."

Puck shook his head, wondering how it was possible any of the teachers at McKinley High had ever passed Finn in anything.

"Just got a lot of stuff on my mind. It's nothing," Puck told him.

"Well, since when does "nothing" affect you on the field?"

Puck gave him a disbelieving look. "I'm playing just fine."

"Exactly," Finn countered.

"What?"

Finn pressed, "You've never been "just fine" at football. Ever since I've known you, whenever you love something, you give like, 150 percent. You've been giving maybe 90 percent lately."

It amazed Puck that someone so clueless could be so perceptive about such trivial things.

"Alright, you know that dude that's been hanging with Berry lately?" he asked him.

"Oh, yeah. Her foster brother?" Finn responded.

Puck paused. "Since when does she have a foster brother?"

Finn thought for a moment. "Almost two weeks now, I think."

Puck allowed that to soak in. So the dude wasn't her boyfriend, but her new foster brother. A new foster brother who apparently took out his anger on girls half his size.

"So, what's his deal?" he asked Finn, seeing as he clearly had more information than he did.

Finn shrugged, making his way to the locker room. "Rachel didn't tell me much about him. Just that her dads had taken him in, and that she hoped we'd make him feel welcome."

Puck snorted at that.

Finn shrugged again. "That's what she said.

They shucked their gear and headed to the showers, and while Puck was in the middle of sudsing himself up, he had a sudden thought.

"Dude," he called out over the spray of the showers.

"What?" Finn called back.

"I have an idea."

* * *

"What do you mean, you want him to try out for the football team?" Rachel asked Finn with Brandon beside her.

"Well, we're looking for a new tight end, and you're the one who wanted me to make him feel more welcome," Finn told her.

Rachel wracked her brain. "But his wrist ... he can't do -"

Finn interupted her after Puck coughed discretely behind him. "It's not like he's gonna have that cast on forever, and he's right-handed, right?"

Rachel nodded slowly.

"So it's not like it'll be a huge obstacle," Finn told her, replaying the line he and Puck had rehearsed. Even though he wasn't entirely sure where Puck was going with this.

"Still ... I'm not sure it's the best idea," Rachel spoke.

"So, why not let him talk for once," Puck suggested from behind Finn, having left himself out of the conversation until now. "After all, it is his decision."

Rachel eyed him suspiciously. "Since when did you decide to be nice?"

Puck put on his best innocent eyes. "What? Now you're gonna get mad at me for taking your suggestions?"

She sighed deeply, looking at Brandon. "You don't have to if you don't want to."

He thought about it for a moment. He wasn't great at contact sports. He didn't like putting himself into violent situations. But, Rachel's parents - and Rachel herself - had told him he should try to be more outgoing in school, and if Puck and Finn were extending an olive branch, he didn't want to turn it down and have them alienate him for the next two years.

Finally he said, "Sure. I'll try out."

* * *

_End of chapter four. Sorry for the wait. I tried to update this last night, but I fell asleep ... my all-nighter finally caught up with me. _

_I know this one is short ... I keep promising to make longer chapters, and I just don't deliever. Grr to myself. _

_I'll try harder with the next one. _

_Loved tonight's episode of Glee. So good. And I hate to say it, 'cause I'm a die-hard Puck/Rachel fan, but I wasn't entirely against Quinn in that episode. Don't worry, I'm sure it will pass. _

_Anywhoo, reviews are appreciated, positive or negative. _

_I hope you liked it! _

_Until next time ...!_


	5. Chapter 5

_..._

_A Rachel/Puck fic._

_Chapter Five._

_..._

_Disclaimer: See Ch. 1_

_..._

_A/N: Thanks for the great, speedy feedback guys! You are amazing! _

_I'm happy you guys are still enjoying this story, and judging by your reviews, I'm right on track with where I intended for this story to go. I don't think it'll have many chapters. Ten at the most, maybe even less. _

_This chapter, we see the fallout of Brandon trying out for the football team. _

_Puckleberry goodness in the next couple of chapters! _

_Okie dokie, let's get on with it before I give everything away! _

_As always, please read and review, I live for feedback!_

* * *

Rachel was beyond apprehensive. She didn't think it was a good idea for Brandon to be trying out for the football team. Violence of any kind was an issue for him, and while she respected that it was his choice, she knew that it wouldn't end well.

She decided to go right to the source, knowing that it hadn't been Finn's idea.

She laid in wait, and then when the opportunity arose, took a page out of his own book, hauling him into the nearest storage closet and flicking the light on with a smack of her hand.

"Feeling frisky?" he commented, gaining the desired reaction from her when she growled in exasperation.

"What are you trying to do?" she demanded to know.

"Well, I was walking down the hall, minding my own business when you pulled me in here for the world's most inactive grope session," he retorted.

She glared daggers at him. "Grow up. You know exactly what I'm talking about."

He rolled his eyes at her. "I don't have time for this, Berry. It's lunch time ... we're breaking in the fresh meat, and I don't wanna miss it."

Rachel's eyes widened. "What?"

Puck leered down at her, invading her personal space. "Don't worry. It's how we initiate all the new guys."

Rachel sagged against him, dropping her head onto her arms as her hands pushed against his chest. "You stupid, son of a bitch," she breathed, shaking her head and unconsciously gripping the material of his shirt.

He blinked a few times, first because of the light hum through his body that her touch had created, but then he started getting that sinking feeling in his stomach that he got whenever his mom found out about something bad he'd done. "What?" he asked.

She pushed away from him, intent on rushing to the football field to try and put a stop to the hazing they were surely putting Brandon through, but Puck grabbed her arm, pulling her back around to face him.

"What's the problem?" he wanted to know.

She glared up at him. "Brandon's father beat him for the last twelve year. He's living with us because he was finally apprehended." Her eyes bore into his with anger. "You saw how he reacted when I _touched_ him ... what do you think is going to happen when they start shoving him around and jumping on him?"

Several emotions passed through Puck's face that she was too upset to define, and then he was pulling her out of the janitor's closet and charging down the hall. He seemed to have forgotten that his hand was wrapped around her wrist, as he was hauling her none-too-gently down the hallway, out the school, through the parking lot and onto the football field. As they made their way to the other players, Rachel could see the damage that had already been done.

It seemed that Mike and Finn were tyring to hold him back, and Matt was crouched next to to Coach Tanaka, who looked as though he'd taken a few shots to the face.

Rachel gasped, not knowing how she could help him - if she could help him - but Puck rushed forward, his momentum and superior strength making it easy for him to force him away from the others and push him over to the bleachers.

Brandon struggled against him, but Puck pinned his arms down, getting in his face.

"You need to stop. Now," he stated calmly, though he was slightly out of breath.

Brandon continued to struggle, convinced that he was back in his father's house, and wanted to stop the abuse once and for all.

"Look at me, Brandon," Puck ordered. "He is not your father. He can't hurt you anymore. Just stop."

Rachel had caught up to Puck, concerned that he would hurt Brandon, and so was surprised by the calm and objective tone of his voice.

Brandon looked between Puck and Tanaka, trying to gain his bearings. Puck took the advantage and reeled him in, trying to difuse the situation as quickly as possible. It was his fault, after all.

"Just breathe. You're at school, you're not in that house. He's not your father, he's the football coach. He's not trying to hurt you, Brandon. Just breathe," Puck chanted, his grip slowly loosening and easing Brandon into a sitting position on the bleachers.

Rachel saw Brandon slowly calming down, and was completely and utterly amazed that Puck was the one bringing him back down. Considering he'd been the one behind the whole thing.

Tanaka got up brushing off Matt's concern and stomping his way towards Puck and Brandon. Puck heard Tanaka yelling at Brandon over his shoulder, and immediately the boy tensed up again, his eyes darkening.

"Back off, Coach!" Puck yelled, glaring over his shoulder.

Tanaka paused momentarily. "Are you crazy, Puckerman? This guy just went all ballistic on us out here, you're gonna get yourself -"

"Coach, I mean it, back off! You can ream me out later," he informed him, turning back to Brandon who had started to shake.

He dropped his right hand from Brandon's arm, causing the boy to jolt, but he quickly clasped his right hand in his own, pulling it up like he meant to arm wrestle him. "Brandon, squeeze my hand. Squeeze my hand for every single time that you want to hit him, okay?"

He gritted his teeth and closed his eyes, trying to maintain some semblance of a grip on reality, and slowly forced his hand to close tighter on Puck's. Once. Twice. Five Times. A Dozen. Twenty. Until he couldn't count anymore. Puck's hand was actually starting to go a little numb, but he remained still, letting Brandon work out his aggression through every squeeze of his hand.

Rachel watched the scene before her in fascination. Never would she ever have pegged Puck to be so ... attentive. Caring. Never would she have thought that he would be able to stop Brandon's rampage - should it happen - without resorting to using his fists.

She found herself wondering why ... and how. Where he'd learned the hand-squeezing thing. Why he suddenly cared enough to calm Brandon down.

Another few minutes had passed, and Brandon finally sagged back against the bleachers, finding his way back to reality.

He looked up at Puck. "Why ... how did you know to do that?" he asked the boy with the mohawk.

Puck shrugged and after a moment answered, "My mom used to do it for me whenever my dad ..."

Brandon nodded. "You too?"

Puck nodded shortly before lowering his hands from Brandon and turning around.

Rachel had her hand covering her mouth, glancing between the two with sadness and pity in her eyes.

"Don't," he warned her, glancing back at Brandon. "Come on, get up. You're gonna have to go talk to Mr Figgins and Miss Pilsburry," Puck told him.

Brandon nodded, worried but compliant.

* * *

Later that night, Rachel found herself sitting in her car outside Puck's house, trying to find the courage to get out of her buggy and walk up to the front door and knock.

She didn't know that he would even want to speak to her. Not after what he'd accidentally told her. Well, he'd told Brandon, not her, but she'd been close enough to hear it. Finn had heard too, but he'd already known. They were best friends, after all. Rachel felt guilty that she'd never known that about Puck ... that his dad had beaten him too. Suddenly a lot of his actions made a lot more sense.

A sudden tap at her window made her jump.

"What are you doing here?" Puck asked her, motioning for her to roll down the window.

Instead, she stepped out of the car. "I just ... I wanted to thank you. For today. For calming Brandon down. He's doing much better now."

He eyed her. "And you felt the need to come all the way over here to tell me that?"

She shook her head after a few seconds.

"Then what, Berry? I don't have all night," he told her.

She sighed. "Would it physically kill you to have a civil conversation?"

"With you? Maybe," he countered.

She rolled her eyes.

Puck commented, "Look, I never asked for your sympathy or your pity. It was my fault that he was even in that situation today in the first place ... so just call us even and get over it."

She shook her head. "It's not that simple."

He pressed her into her car. "Why? Because now you have a new charity case? Back off, Berry. You don't wanna mess with me."

She held her ground, tilting her head up to meet his eyes. She was very aware of just how close he was to her, but she brushed away the butterflies in her stomach, attributing them to the stress of the day. "This isn't about me pitying you, Noah. I just wanted -"

He stepped even closer. "Don't call me that. No one calls me that."

She grew weary of the awkward angle and pushed him back so she could stand straight. "It's your _name_. Deal with it."

He clenched his jaw, wanting nothing more than to just shut her up. He pushed her back into the car, placing his hands on either side of her.

"Don't do that," she hissed, bringing her hands up to push at his chest, but he was strong. Very strong. And firm. And he was still moving towards her.

Her eyes widened as his lips sealed over hers, effectively bringing an end to their conversation. They snapped shut after a second, and she fisted her hands into his shirt, pushing lightly at him. He ignored her, knowing that if she really wanted to stop him, she'd be trying a lot harder.

At this point, he just wanted to shock her into leaving him alone for the rest of his life. So, without a second thought, he swiped his tongue across her bottom lip, knowing she'd be horrified at the idea of swapping spit with him.

She gasped at the contact, and he figured he might as well go for it, all the better to torment her later. He slipped his tongue inside her mouth, dragging it across the roof of her mouth before massaging her tongue with his own.

Any second now she would slap him and run home, and she would finally leave him alone. She would finally be out of his head. Any second now.

Then, the unthinkable happened. Her body relaxed ever so slightly, and her tongue returned the pressure on his, kissing him back.

His eyes flashed open for a second. Only a second. It was all he needed to be sure that it was really Rachel Berry, and she was really kissing him.

He slowly, carefully, moved his hands from beside her on the car to wrap delicately around her back, hesitantly pulling her to him. She fit perfectly against him. Molded to his body in just the right places.

_This can't actually be happening. I can't actually be here with Rachel Berry, making out against her car ... and enjoying it. What the hell?_

He shut his brain off, letting his body do the talking.

* * *

Rachel fisted her hands into his shirt, pushing half-heartedly at him, but he continued kissing her. She could have tried harder ... she probably should have, but she couldn't find the strength. She was like puddy in his hands ... even though his hands were touching her. But still ... it was the metaphor that counted, not the position of their bodies.

Which brought her back to her current predicament, which was a) why Puck was kissing her and, b) why she wasn't slapping him and storming off. That's what a good enemy would do. And didn't she pride herself on being the best at everything?

Then his tongue came out to brush against her lower lip, and Rachel lost it. She gasped, accidentally giving him the opportunity to further explore her mouth. She considered clamping her teeth down and putting an end to the ordeal right then and there, but then something happened inside of her. A strange heat in the base of her belly, and she found herself unable to push him away. Instead, she sunk slightly into his embrace and hesitantly kissed him back.

It wasn't as though she had a lot of experience to draw from, but judging by the way his arms came to slide around her waist, she figured she must be doing something right.

She allowed him to pull her against his body, feeling how perfectly their bodies seemed to fit together. He was the perfect height for her, and she eased herself up so that she could get the best angle to kiss her, having long ago told her brain to shut up. She would deal with the consequences later, right now she just wanted to enjoy the feeling.

One of his hands slid up her back, underneath her shirt, and she could feel a fire blazing a path where his skin touched hers. She moaned lightly against him, causing him to grin and bring his other hand up to cup her face, sliding it through her hair and coming to a rest at the back of her head, holding her to him while he kissed her.

Finally they had to pull away for air, and when they did they were both panting dramatically, lips puffy and eyes drifted closed.

Puck was the first to open his, and he noted how she looked good. Properly-kissed, like all girls should look after having experienced Noah Puckerman's talents. But there was something different about this. Something more than his ego.

She slowly opened her eyes, sinking back down to rest flat on her feet as she gazed up at him.

She blinked a few times, seeming to suddenly realize where she was.

He opened his mouth to say something, but she never found out what it was and she quickly turned and jumped in her car, starting the engine and driving away as fast as she could.

* * *

_End of chapter. _

_Hehe. I loved writing that. _

_I hope you guys liked this chapter, I can't wait to read your reviews!_

_Until next time ...! _


	6. Chapter 6

_..._

_A Rachel/Puck fic._

_Chapter Six._

_..._

_Disclaimer: See Ch. 1_

_..._

_A/N: Thanks for all the reviews, you guys rock! Sorry about the wait for this update, I was booted off the laptop for most of the weekend. _

_Hehe, I know I left you with a bit of a cliffy, but it was too good to resist. _

_Hopefully this chapter will make up for it, though. _

_Not too much else to say ... here's chapter six! I hope you enjoy it! _

_As always, please read and review, I live for feedback! _

* * *

Rachel slept fitfully that night. Physically, she was exhausted. She'd worked on her elliptical machine for over an hour before moving on to rehearsing her choreography for her duet in glee.

That, of course, only reminded her that Mr Shuester had paired her up with Puck for the duet. Puck.

Puck, who loved nothing more than making her life miserable. Puck, who either tossed slushies in her face, or strived to embarrass her with his sexual innuendos. Puck, who went from orchestrating ways to push Brandon around, to using his own unpleasant past to stop Brandon from hurting people. Puck, who went from trying to intimidate her to kissing her for all she was worth. Puck.

She flopped back and forth on her bed, dreaming about what would happen at school the next day. Her mind was racing back and forth, convincing her that he would either act as though nothing had happened, or he would flaunt it in front of the entire school to humiliate her.

At on point in the night, she tossed around so much that she actually fell out of her bed, landing with a hard thump that woke her quickly and painfully.

She forced herself back up onto her mattress, sighing and taking a drink from the glass of water on her bedside table.

"Noah fricken Puckerman," she breathed, wondering how the hell it had happened.

"Honey, you okay?" her dad, Paul asked, knocking lightly on the door.

"I'm fine, Daddy. Just slipped of the bed, that's all," she replied, sliding back under the covers.

"Okay, Sweetie. Good night," he said through the door.

"'Night," she called back, resting her head against her pillows.

Her mind drifted to the reason she'd gone to see Puck in the first place ... Brandon.

He'd been given a three-day suspension for hitting a teacher, which was something she thought was fair. She thought it would be good for him to ease his way back, and it would give him some time to talk things out with her dads. She knew that it would take a long time, but she was confident that Brandon could overcome everything his father had done to him.

She sighed deeply, rolling onto her side to glance at her alarm clock.

_2:00 am._

There were very few things that upset her enough to want to miss school, but she found herself wishing for a 24-hour bug to make its presence known in the next three hours.

* * *

Lady Luck was not on her side. She was perfectly healthy when six o'clock rolled around, and though her impeccable acting skills would have made it easy for her to fake an illness, Brandon had asked her to pick up his homework and make a copy of her notes for him, so she put on her brave face and drove to school.

As usual, she was one of the first students there, so she made her way to the choir room to exercise her voice.

8:30 came far too quickly, and she forced herself to leave the sanctuary of the choir room.

She jumped and twitched every time someone passed closely to her, as she kept her head down while she walked to her locker. She tried to grab all of her books so that she wouldn't have to come back to her locker between classes, and thus risk running into Noah Puckerman, but the weight of it all was too much for her twitching fingers, and she ended up dropping all of her textbooks and binders on the floor, scattering them around her.

Rachel groaned in frustration, bending over to grab them all. She heard several woots from behind her but ignored the.

Suddenly, one of her books that had been kicked further away was thrust under her nose. The hand seemed oddly familiar, and she gulped before following the length of the arm upwards with her eyes to see that it belonged to Puck.

_So much for avoiding him_, she thought, glancing at the book in his hands.

"It won't bite," he said gruffly.

She shook herself out of whatever daze she'd fallen into, accepting the book from him.

"You probably shouldn't bend over in that skirt, you can totally see right up your virgin-whites," he informed her.

Her eyes widened before she snapped upright, glaring at him and the people around them.

He chuckled briefly before leaning on the locker next to hers. "So when are we doing this?"

She looked back at him with worry in her eyes. "Doing what?"

He let her sweat for a moment before answering, "The glee duet. When are we going to practice it? I know you're a perfectionist."

She nodded with relief. Apparently, he'd decided to pretend it never happened. Good. Exactly what she'd been hoping for. ... So what was that sinking in her stomach?

"How about after your football rehearsal?" she wondered.

He shook his head with a laugh.

"What?"

He leaned towards her. "It's called football "practice", not rehearsal, Berry."

She tensed and pulled back slightly, and his face slackened momentarily before his trademark grin/sneer was in place. "I'll meet you in the parking lot at 4:30," he told her before stalking away to his class, not waiting for an answer.

She supposed it was better if they didn't talk about what had happened. Maybe she'd imagined it. She doubted it, but she could always hope.

* * *

As seemed to be a common occurrence, the end of school approached far too soon for her liking. Mr Shuester had checked in with the five original glee members after school to make sure they were on track with their duets, while the other seven were at football and Cheerio practice.

While she waited for Puck to be finished, she copied down her notes for Brandon, situating them in order with the handouts and assignments she'd picked up for him to work on either that evening, or tomorrow while she was in school.

She finished before the football practice was over, so she simply sat in her car listening to her iPod. She stretched across the small car while she waited, sticking her feet on the dash in front of the passenger's seat, relaxing and getting lost in the music.

She didn't notice Puck walk up to her car, glance in the window, or smirk when he realized that her skirt had ridden up considerably. She had her eyes closed while she listened to the beat of the music, and nearly jumped out of her skin when a hand came crashing down on the hood of her car.

Puck chuckled, watching as she scrambled into a sitting position, her skirt flipping back and forth.

"Are you trying to give me a heart attack?" she wondered dramatically, placing her hand over her heart.

"If only it were so easy," he retorted, leaning with his arms on her open window. "So, your place or mine?"

"Ex - excuse me?" she tripped verbally, feeling her skin heat up.

"Working on the duet?" he explained. "Which house?"

"Oh, um ... well, I don't know how big of a space you have at your house, because my room is -"

"Okay, your place it is," he stated, heading to his truck.

She stuck her head out her window. "Well, do you need to follow me, or -"

"I remember where it is, Berry," he commented, and she felt stupid.

_Of course. He did egg your house a few times. _

She found herself growing annoyed with him once more as they drove, thinking about all the cruel things he'd done to her. By the time they pulled up in front of her house, he was sufficiently peeved.

She walked past him into her house, leaving him to follow behind her.

"What's up?" he wondered, closing the door behind him and wondering if her fathers were home.

"Nothing," she replied shortly, moving to the fridge to grab a couple bottles of water.

Brandon was sitting in the kitchen eating a sandwich when she walked in. "Hey, how was ..." He trailed off when he saw Puck walk in behind her.

"Hey," Puck said awkwardly.

Brandon inclined his head in response. "Hi."

Rachel took another bottle out for Brandon, setting it in front of him. "Excuse us, Brandon. We'll be working on our duet for Glee. Are you heading out to meet Mercedes and Kurt soon?"

Brandon nodded.

"Well, I'm sure I'll see you later," she replied, moving upstairs and leaving Puck to follow behind her once more.

Puck paused before signalling goodbye to Brandon with a short wave of his hand and following the high-strung girl up the stairs.

It wasn't too hard to figure out which room was hers ... the pink stars were kind of a give-away, though he was surprised that she'd closed the door. Maybe she was changing.

He gave only a second's pause before entering the room without knocking.

He noticed with a small amount of disappointment that she was, in fact, fully clothed.

"It's about time," she commented, flipping through her music sheets for the song they'd agreed on: At the Beginning, originally by Richard Marx and Donna Lewis. Puck wasn't too psyched about doing a mushy, romance song, but he didn't wanted to endure Rachel's constant lectures and chattering either, so he'd relented. He figured he'd use the song to his advantage to drive her insane.

After what happened last night ... driving her insane had quickly jumped up on his list of things to do.

She started the instrumental version, handing him his lyrics silently. Puck wondered what was up with her, but decided asking would probably only get his head bitten off, so he left it alone and sat on the edge of her bed, singing his lines.

She doesn't look at him the entire time they're singing, and now he knows that something is off with her. She always looked right into your eyes when she sang, whether it was to you or with you, and even though it had been something he found unnerving and creepy, he couldn't help wonder why she wasn't doing it now.

He set his sheet of paper on his lap, missing his next line.

Rachel faltered, glancing over at him. "What's the problem?" she wondered snappily.

"You."

She blinked. "Excuse me?"

"You're the problem. Are you pissed at me or something? 'Cause, I don't think I've done all that much to you today."

She snorted. "Well, that was noble of you. Haven't "done all that much"? Well, I guess you deserve some sort of reward for that, then?"

He stood carefully, drawing back from her but standing tall. "Clearly I'm missing something."

"Clearly!" she retorted, closing her fist around the paper in her hand.

He sighed. "Okay, so this is about yesterday. You want me to apologise, is that it?"

She growl/groaned, turning her back on him and walking to the window with her hands over her chest. "Just ... never mind."

Puck stepped towards her, pushing his luck. "Fine, I'm sorry if I hurt your delicate, female feelings. It was just a ..."

She spun around on him. "Just a ... what? A joke? A trick? A stupid game? I went over there to try and thank you, and you do what you always do. You live to torture me, Noah Puckerman, and I would love to know what I ever did to deserve it! You throw slushies on me, you egg my house, you humiliate me and insult me in front of the entire school whenever you can, and you're surprised that I'm not all smiles and happiness at the prospect of spending an evening singing and dancing with you? Well, big surprise, I _do_ have feelings, and I am sick of you stomping on them!"

She was breathing in heavy gulps now, glaring at him with a red face.

He was surprised to say the least. He'd always figured the stunts they'd pulled didn't affect her ... she hid it so well. And she'd never done anything to try to stop them, which had made them try and come up with new things to do to her.

They - he - really was an asshole.

"Look, I'm sorry ... I didn't think -"

"Don't," Rachel warned him.

He shook his head. "I really am. I know I'm an ass, and the things I did to you are, well ... unforgiveable."

She gripped the windowsill behind her. "Don't."

He sighed. "Can you please just let me apologise?"

"No."

"Why not?" he wanted to know.

She looked to the side, seeming to have an internal struggle, before she shot forward and assaulted his lips with her own.

It was a second before he realized she was kissing him, but once he clued in he wrapped his arms around her, backing her up against the window. She yelped quietly against his mouth, and he took the opportunity to explore her further. He figured once she snapped out of whatever was going on in her head, she'd take off like she did the other day, so he wanted to make the most of it.

He pushed away the voice in the back of his head that was asking him "since when do you want to make the most of kissing Rachel Berry?"

She pulled him to her as hard as he was, feeling him lift her onto the ledge of her window. It wasn't exactly comfortable, but she wrapped her legs around his waist, clinging to him.

A few minutes later they finally broke apart, gasping for air.

Rachel buried her head in Puck's shoulder, panting and flushed from head to toe.

"'Cause then I might forgive you," she spoke after a moment, heating up his shoulder with her hot breath and causing him to wrap his arms around her a little bit more.

* * *

_End of chapter six. _

_Hope you guys liked it. This story isn't complete yet, but it will be soon. Maybe a couple more chapters. _

_Reviews are appreciated, positive or negative. _

_Until next time ...!_


	7. Chapter 7

_..._

_A Rachel/Puck fic._

_Chapter Seven._

_..._

_Disclaimer: See Ch. 1_

_..._

_A/N: Thanks for the great reviews, you guys! You rock my world! _

_As requested, here is the next chapter, as soon as I was able. Hope you guys like it, I know I loved writing it. _

_As always, please read and review, I live for feedback!_

* * *

Rachel's head was spinning. There she was, perched on her windowsill with her arms and legs wrapped around Noah Puckerman, after the life had practically been kissed right out of her. Her limbs felt like jelly. If he moved even a little bit, she was fairly certain that she would collapse.

Puck breathed in the scent of her hair, deciding that his new favourite smell was strawberries. He turned his head to the side, taking a chance and kissing the hollow of her neck.

She gasped a little against his shoulder, but didn't move away.

He took this as a good sign and continued his ministrations, trailing his fingers up her spine.

Rachel dug her fingers into Puck's back as she shivered, wondering if she'd ever felt _that_ good before.

He pulled back, glancing at her dazed eyes before going for her lips again.

She had just parted her lips for him when her door was opened.

"Hey, Rachel, I'm just heading - oh. Sorry," Brandon squeaked, stopping in the doorway.

Rachel's eyes widened, pulling away from Puck. His arms loosened around her, and she slid down, straightening out her skirt and pulling her hair away from her face.

"Next time knock?" Puck suggested, slightly annoyed, even though he'd done the same thing when he walked in.

Brandon nodded, trying to keep a grin off of his face. "Um, I'm going to Kurt's now. ... Bye."

Rachel managed a wave, but was speechless.

_There's a first,_ Puck thought, gazing down at her. "Well ... at least it wasn't your dads," he offered.

She looked up at him with confused eyes. "I don't ... why?"

"Why what?" he wondered.

She explained, "Why do you kiss me? ... Or kiss me back, I guess. You don't even like me."

Puck shrugged. "Why not?"

She glared at him, trying to move around him.

He trapped her with his arms, holding her in place. "Okay, that's not what I meant. But when I get around you, I just ... say things I don't mean. I'm sorry, okay?"

She eyed him warily, but nodded.

He dropped his hands down her arms, coming to a rest on her hips. "I'm not really good at the whole talking thing ... I like kissing you. I wouldn't mind doing _other_ things," he joked, causing her to pinch him lightly. "But right now ... this is good."

Rachel nodded. She hadn't expected an entire monologue from him, dictating how she was the sun in his sky, or anything like that. What he told her was ... nice. And truthful, and it was definitely more than she'd ever expected from him.

"What about everyone else?" she asked him. "I mean, we're not even technically together, and already someone caught us. I don't know how you'd feel about going public, and if we did, you know that you would probably get slushied every day for sinking so low as to date someone like me."

Puck scoffed. "No one slushies me, I'm the school badass ... it would be social suicide to slushie me."

Rachel rolled her eyes. "How nice for you."

He cupped her face in his hands, crouching down so that he was at eye-level with her. "I'm sorry, okay? For all the times I ... I'm sorry, okay?"

She nodded, letting him kiss her softly.

* * *

Kurt welcomed Brandon into his house with a grand wave of his arm, leading him down to the basement where Mercedes was waiting. His father watched the interaction with apprehension and a little amusement, looking back at his newspaper after they'd gone downstairs.

Brandon was lost in his thoughts, remembering what he'd walked in on less than fifteen minutes ago, and didn't hear Mercedes greet him.

Kurt nudged him. "What's up?"

"Huh?"

Mercedes walked up to him, eyeing him with confusion and intrigue. "You look like you just saw a ghost. Spill."

Brandon looked nervously between the two. "I ... it was nothing. I don't think that ..."

"Come on, you can tell us," Kurt urged. "We know how to keep a secret."

He shrugged. "It was just something with Rachel and -"

"Puck? Was it Puck? I knew it! Oh, continue!" Kurt said hurriedly.

Brandon felt weird talking about Rachel to Kurt. She probably wouldn't appreciate him gossiping about her, and she'd been so nice to him.

He shook his head. "No, it was just her singing. It was really good," he lied lamely. "I never really realized how good her voice was until now."

Kurt looked mildly disappointed, but shook it off. "Oh well. Let's get working on our song, then?"

* * *

The next day at school, Puck and Rachel met early in the supply closet by the art room. They had decided to keep their relationship a secret for now, not wanting to deal with the drama of everyone knowing about them, and judging them.

Puck felt like he'd scored the lottery, getting to make out with Rachel Berry and not have to deal with everyone asking him about her. It was win-win.

The bell rang, and Rachel left first as she was a stickler for punctuality. He hung back, giving her a minute to get to her locker and get her books before exiting the supply closet.

He was making his way to his own locker when he got a text. "Do you have a minute?" the text said, but he didn't recognise the number.

"Who's this?" he replied back.

After a moment, his phone buzzed against, and the next text read, "Brandon."

He sighed, but typed back, "What do you want?"

"It's about Rachel," Brandon replied.

Puck punched in, "What about her?" He figured this was probably one of the only ways Brandon could have a conversation/confrontation with someone without retreating into his bubble.

Brandon texted back, "What are you doing with her?"

Puck made his way down the hall as he typed in his reply. "What business is it of yours?"

He waited a minute for Brandon to reply, gathering his books out of his locker.

"She's been good to me, don't want you to hurt her."

Puck sighed, contemplating flipping the phone closed and just ending the conversation, but when he thought about it, Brandon sort of had a point.

"What makes you think I'm going to hurt her?" he wondered.

It was over a minute before Brandon replied. "You go from throwing slushies at her to kissing her? That, to me, says you're messing with her head."

Puck held back a growl while he typed back, "People change."

"Not that much," Brandon told him.

"Look, I already apologised to her," he typed furiously. "It's none of your business."

"Probably. But that doesn't mean I'm not concerned for her," came Brandon's reply.

Puck sighed, knowing the other boy was right. He had been horrible to Rachel. And just saying sorry so that she would kiss him again wasn't fair to her. She deserved more than that.

"What do you suggest?" Puck texted.

* * *

Puck walked down the halls of McKinley High, slushie in hand, searching for one girl in particular. He found her making her way to the cafeteria, so he followed behind her, waiting until they made it into the lunch room to let her know he was behind her.

Rachel was pleasantly surprised that Puck was acknowledging her at school, but when she turned and saw the slushie in his hand, her heart sunk. He was going to slushie her, just to keep people from knowing they were together.

Rachel sighed. "Just do it already."

He shook his head. "This isn't for you," Puck told her.

She furrowed her brow in confusion as he placed it in her hands.

"I don't ..."

He stopped her, lifting the arm that had the slushie in it. "I want you to slushie me."

"What?" Rachel asked, sure that she must have heard him wrong.

He could see a few people looking their way, and her eyes followed his. "It's my way of making up for being such a jerk to you for so long," he explained, looking back at her. "So, slushie me."

Rachel shook her head at his logic. "That's stupid."

"Yeah, well, you can berate Brandon for it later," he told her. "Just do it, please?"

She was thrown by the mention of Brandon, but was too frazzled to make anything of it. "So, this is supposed to make us even?"

He shrugged. "Sure."

"That makes no sense at all."

Puck sighed, dropping his shoulders dramatically. "Look, if you're not going to do it, just -"

He was cut off by the drink pouring all over him.

Puck blinked, forcing the liquid out of his eyes, somewhat surprised that she'd actually done it.

Rachel's eyes were wide, but she wasn't doing a very good job of containing her grin. "Happy?" she managed to force out, trying not to giggle.

Puck sloshed the slushie off of his face with a swipe of his hand, splattering some on her shirt. "Thrilled," he commented when she pouted down at her shirt.

The cafeteria had broken out with chatter and mumbles, but Rachel ignored them as she succumbed to her giggles, barely able to look at him.

"Something funny?" he asked her.

She placed her hand over her mouth, her body shaking a little with her laughter.

After a moment he started to chuckle as well, and the eyes watching them widened with confusion.

He brought his finger under her chin to make her look at him, and when her laughter had subsided somewhat, he brought her towards him for a sweet kiss. Literally. His lips still had slushie on them.

Rachel pulled back after a minute, her eyes sparkling at him. "So ... I guess everyone knows now?"

Puck nodded.

"And you're okay with that?"

He nodded again with a smile.

"And this has something to do with Brandon?" she wondered.

He rolled his eyes pulling her to him for another kiss.

Suddenly, the glee kids started whooping, and even a few of the other students joined it. Kurt stood on his table, shouting about how he'd predicted their "union", and Mercedes hauled him down off the table, smirking at Rachel and Puck.

Rachel led Puck out of the cafeteria, causing several catcalls to erupt from the room they'd left, intent on getting the slushie cleaned off of him before it stained.

She tentatively slid her hand into the crook of his arm, and he grinned, holding her arm close to his body while they walked down the hall.

_What a pair we make,_ Rachel thought, finding the least used bathroom so that Puck could strip out of his clothing. That thought alone made her grin, wondering what the rest of the day would bring.

* * *

_End of chapter seven. _

_Short I know, and really mushy, but it couldn't be helped. _

_Next chapter will be the last. I wanted it to be this one, but I figured I should include their duet somewhere in here, so that will be the next chapter. _

_Hope you guys liked it, sorry for the wait. Was trying to get my bulletin board project done ... stupid school interrupting with my fanfic responsibilities. _

_Reviews are appreciated, positive or negative. _

_Until next time ...!_


	8. Chapter 8

_..._

_A Rachel/Puck fic._

_Chapter Eight. _

_..._

_Disclaimer: See Ch. 1. Also, I don't own "At the Beginning" by Richard Marx and Donna Lewis, just borrowing it for the purposes of this story. _

_..._

_A/N: Have I ever mentioned how much I love the Glee fandom on fanfic dot net? You guys are pretty much awesome. _

_Special shout-out to JustAmazing, you are my absolute favorite reviewer, you always put a smile on my face! You rock! This one's for you! _

_So, here we are: the conclusion to New Beginnings. I hope you guys like this ending. I almost don't want to end this, but I feel this is as good a place to finish it as any. _

_Without my further ado, here's the last chapter. _

_As always, please read and review, I live for feedback!_

* * *

The next week had gone by in a blur of school, rehearsing and kisses. Lots of kisses. Rachel had found herself wondering if one could actually be kissed to death. If Noah Puckerman were the one doing the kissing, it just might be something to look forward to.

She had thanked Brandon for sticking his nose in when he did, and he had replied with, "It's kind of funny that two people who had so much animosity for each other, end up making such a good pair."

Rachel couldn't have agreed more.

The day came to present their songs, and Rachel was over-excited as usual. Finn and Quinn were up first, and they sang "Don't Go Breaking My Heart", originally by Elton John and Kiki Dee. Mike and Matt sang "Fortunate Son", originally by Credence Clearwater Revival. The others sang their songs, and Rachel was happy to see that Brandon had finally started letting loose, and seemed to enjoy singing with Kurt and Mercedes.

Finally it was Rachel and Puck's turn, and Rachel practically bounced her way to the center of the stage, handing the pianist their sheet music.

The music started up, and Rachel didn't have to act when she looked at Puck lovingly.

"We were strangers,

Starting out on a journey.

Never dreaming,

What we'd have to go through.

Now here we are.

And I'm suddenly standing,

At the beginning with you," she sang, singing to Puck while moving around him slowly.

When his part came up he stopped her with a hand on her wrist.

"_No one told me, _

_I was going to find you_," he sang, twirling her with a smile on his face.

"_Unexpected, _

_What you did to my heart_."

She came back towards him, sliding her hand into his while they moved carefully around the room.

"**When I lost hope, **

**You were there to remind me: **

**This is the start. **

**And ... **

**Life is a road, **

**And I want to keep going. **

**Love is a river, **

**I wanna keep flowing. **

**Life is a road, **

**Now and forever**," they sang, stepping towards each other for a second, their eyes meeting.

"**Wonderful journey. **

**I'll be there when the world stops turning. **

**I'll be there when the storm is through. **

**In the I wanna be standing, **

**At the beginning with you**."

Rachel smiled, taking a breath for her lines and tracing her palm softly against Puck's cheek.

"We were strangers,

On a crazy adventure."

Puck took her hand, pulling it away from her face to turn her so that her back was to him.

"_Never dreaming, _

_How our dreams would come true._"

"**Now here we stand, **

**Unafraid of the future. **

**At the beginning with you. **

**And ... **

**Life is a road,**

**And I want to keep going. **

**Love is a river, **

**I wanna keep flowing. **

**Life is a road, **

**Now and forever. **

**Wonderful journey.**"

It didn't even occur to Puck that he should care that he was singing a sappy love song to a girl he'd been dating for barely a week. It didn't occur to him that everyone's eyes were watching them with sweetness and amusement. All that he saw was Rachel.

"**I'll be there when the world stops turning, **

**I'll be there when the storm is through. **

**In the end I wanna be standing, **

**At the beginning with you. **

**I knew there was somebody somewhere, **

**Like me alone in the dark. **

**Now I know my dream will live on, **

**I've been waiting for long. **

**Nothing's gonna tear us apart,**" they sang, dancing around the room closely to one another.

"**And ...**"

"_Life is a road, _

_And I want to keep going. _

_Love is a river, _

_I wanna keep flowing._"

"**Life is a road, **

**Now and forever. **

**Wonderful journey. **

**I'll be there when the world stops turning. **

**I'll be there when the storm is through. **

**In the end I wanna be standing, **

**At the beginning with you. **

**Life is a road and I wanna keep going. **

**Love is a river I wanna keep going on ...**"

"Starting out on a journey," Rachel sang to him, wrapping an arm around his neck so that he could dip her.

"**Life is a road, **

**And I wanna keep going. **

**Love is a river, **

**I wanna keep flowing. **

**In the end I wanna be standing, **

**At the beginning ... with you.**"

Rachel finished the song with a long hum while smiling back at Puck.

The glee kids and Mr Shuester applauded, smiling at the two of them.

Puck tried to figure out when the hell he'd become such a sucker for chick-flick moments, but he found himself enjoying both the attention, as well as singing with Rachel.

* * *

When Rachel had asked Puck if he wanted to come over and rehearse their song, he'd been confused. They'd already sang their song, and they'd sung it pretty damn well, if he did say so himself. But, he figured that since she was such a perfectionist that he must have done something wrong during the song, and she wanted to fix it.

It was after eight o'clock when he'd pulled up to her house, just like she'd asked him to, and he didn't even register the fact their neither of her fathers' cars were parked out front. He walked in the front door without knocking, also as she'd asked him to, and closed it behind him, shucking his shoes.

"Rach?" he called out, wondering where she was, surprised that her dads weren't sitting in front of the TV, watching American Idol.

"I'm upstairs," he heard her reply from above him, and trudged up the stairs to her room. He could hear soft music coming out of her room, the instrumental version of the song they'd sung, and got ready for a long night of singing and dancing.

To say that he was surprised at the sight he was met with when he opened the door would be an understatement.

Rachel Berry, in what was quite possibly the shortest night-thingy ever designed, laid out of her bed and waiting for him.

Now it was his turn to be speechless.

"Hi," she greeted, sitting up a little.

He blinked a couple times, his gaze wandering up and down her legs. "... Hi."

"Surprise," she stated bravely.

He nodded, swallowing even though his mouth was dry. "Yeah."

Rachel had expected a slightly different reaction from him, and began to wonder if he found her visually unappealing. "Do you not want to -?"

Puck shook his head. "No, I definitely want to. I'm just a little ... caught off-guard."

Rachel nodded in understanding.

Puck's grin began to show after a few seconds. "You continue to surprise me, Rachel Berry."

She smiled happily. "Good."

He shrugged out of his jacket, placing it on the back of her desk chair before coming to sit beside her on the bed. "Are you sure? I mean, we've only been dating a week. I don't want to pressure you into -"

He was cut off by her mouth on his.

"Do you really want to talk me out of this?" she asked him between kisses.

He shook his head, launching himself forward and causing her to squeak when he pinned her to the bed. "Definitely not."

* * *

_The end. _

_I hope you guys liked it, I know I loved writing it. _

_Now I shall move onto ... you guessed it! More Puckleberry fics! I just can't get enough of this pairing! _

_Reviews are appreciated, positive or negative. _

_Until next time ...! _


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